Refrigerator-door and operating mechanism therefor.



1. F. ocoNNoR'.

REFRIGERATOR DOOR AN-D OPERATING MECHANISM'THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I8, |915.

ATTORNEY '1. F. OCONNOR.

EFRIGERATORDOOR AND OPERATING MECHANIYSM THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. ma.

1,220.263. Patented Mar. 27,1917.

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J. F. OCONNOR. REFRIGERATOR DOOR AND OPERATING MECHANISM THEREFOR. APPLlcATIou msn MAR. 18.1915.

I 1,220,263. Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

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WITNESSES.-

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NITED STATES PATENT GFFICE.

JOHN' F. OCONNOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM I-I. MINER, OF

CI-IAZY, NEVI YORK.

REFRIGERATOR-DOOR-AND OPERATING MECHANISM THEREFOR.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

Application filed March 1S, 1915. Serial No. 15,341.

To all wiwm t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. OCoNNon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Refrigerator-Doors and Operating Mechanism Therefor, of which the following is a. full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in refrigerator doors and operating mechanism therefor.

An object of the invention is to provide a door for refrigerators, particularly re-frigerator cars, and improved means for opening, closing and supporting the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door for refrigerator cars which consists of a single member and adapted to be forced into and out of flush position with the side wall of the car.

Other objects of the invention will appear fromthe description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a refrigerator car showing my provements in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the door and operating mechanism therefor, the side wall of the car, however, being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig.' 2 but showing thedoor-in open position. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the lever and associated parts taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but on a somewhat larger scale, parts being broken away to prevent crowding and Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but upon a larger scale, some of the parts being omitted to prevent crowding.

In said drawing, 10 denotes the side wall of the car which is provided with the usual door opening 11 therein, said opening being 'formed by jambs 12 having beveled faces,

said jambs being provided with insulating spring pressed packings 13 in the usual manner.

The door 14 corresponds in thickness to the thickness of the side wall of the car and is beveled on its edges so as to tit the door opening provided therefor. Said door 14,

C as clearly shown in the drawing, consists of a single member as contra distinguished from the usual two hinged doors now generally in service. Mounted on the side of the car at spaced intervals both above and below the tops and bottoms of the door opening', are a plurality of supporting brackets 15. Mounted in these brackets in suitable bearings 16 are upper and lower, combined supporting, opening and closing tracks 17 each of said tracks being substantially of cylindrical cross section and provided with suitable lever arms or eX- tensions 18 having hubs 19 mounted in said4 bearings 16. The door 14 is provided with a set of upper hanger brackets 20, each of which has an upwardly extending hook or U-shaped section 21 in which is mounted a supporting roller 22, all of said rollers 22 rolling upon the upper track 17. At its lower end, the door 14 is provided with another set of supporting brackets 23 each of which has a depending fork 24 in which is mounted a supporting roller 25 that rides upon the lower track 17. At one end of each of the tracks 17 which also serve as operating shafts, there is attached a quadrant 26 which perfo-rms the function of a bell crank lever, the two quadrants 26 being operated in unison by means of a pair of parallel pivotally connected links 27 '27. To the central portions of the links 27 is pivotally connected a cross plate 28 which has cast integrally therewith a ratchet gear 29 hollowed out to receive therethrough a short shaft 30 having an enlarged circular flange 31 at its inner end. To the outer end of the short shaft 30 is pivotally connected an operating handle 32 which is forked as indicated at 33. Between the forks is a tooth 34 which is arranged to engage with the teeth of the ratchet 29 when the operating handle is parallel with the links 27 and to be disengaged therefrom when the lever is swung outwardly at an angle thereto. As clearly shown in Fig. 1 the tracks 17 are extended beyond the door along the side of the car suiiciently to permit the door to be run there along and removed entirely from in front of the door opening and in order to limit this movement I have provided a stop clip 35. The operating handle 32 is slottedas indicated at 36 to thereby adapt the same to act as a hasp and slip over a staple 37 'secured to the side of the car in which position the door may be sealed by passing the usual lead seal 38 through the staple on the outer side of the operating handle (see Figs. 1 and 9.).

The position of the tracks 17 when the door is free from the door opening is as shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and 5, and as will be apparent, the door may be rolled there along in the same manner that roller mounted doors are usually moved, that is, the door can be slid from opposite the door opening to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 or vice versa. When it is desired to throw the door into closed position, the door is, of course, brought opposite the door opening and then the operator begins to lift up the operating handle 3Q which has its tooth 34 in engagement with the ratchet 29. As the ratchet is thus rotated, it causes the links 27-27 to change their positions, that is, the inner link 27 descends and the outer link ascends. This movement causes the oscillation of the quadrants or bell cranks 26 and elevates the tracks 17-17 until they reach their highermost position. passed beyond their highest point, gravity will assist in the closing of the door since the tendency will then be for the tracks 17 to fall downwardly between their point of support and the face of the car side. l t this time the operator can shift the position of the operating handle 32 on the ratchet and obtain a new purchase and then force the door into complete flush position. During this latter operation, the tracks 17 serve as operating shafts for the door and pressure is applied to the curved bearing surfaces 39 on the inner arms of the U portions of the upper brackets and the forks of the lower brackets. V'Vhen the door is inl closed position7 it may be sealed in the manner previously described. To open the door, the operating handle 32 is swung downwardly and the tracks 17 again act as operating shafts and pull the door outwardly since they bear upon the curved bearing surfaces 39 on the outer arms of the U brackets 21 and forks 24. During the final forcing home of the door to closed position, the tracks 17 clear the rollers 22 and 25 as clearly indicated by the space shown in Fig. 6.

As will be noted from the drawing and foregoing description, the weight of the door automatically assists in returning it to closed position and would also tend to keep it in closed position since if it sags or falls the weight is applied to the tracks whichy in turn forces the door inwardly. There is thus no danger of accidental opening of the door during transit. Similarly, when the Copies of this patent may be obtained for five As soo-n as the tracks 17 have door is in open position its weight automatically tends to keep it there.

l am aware that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts, with- Y out departing from the spirit of my invention and l contemplate all such changes and modifications as come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

A l claim z- 1. rllhe combination with a member having a door opening therein and a door adapted to close said opening, of a track pivotally mounted about an axis parallel with and spaced from the face of said member, said track being upwardly oscillatable from points to one side of a vertical plane passing through its axis to the opposite side of said plane.

2. The combination with a member having a door opening therein and a door arranged to close said opening, of a combined opening and closing shaft and supporting track, said combined shaft and track being pivotally mounted about an axis parallel ith and spaced from the face of said member, said track-shaft being swingable from its highest position downwardly and inwardly to a position between the face of said member and a vertical plane passing through said axis, whereby the weight of tie door automatically assists in moving it to closed position and retains it there.

3. The combination with a member having a door opening therein and a door adapted to close said opening, of upper and lower pivotally mounted combined operating shafts and tracks, and mechanism for oscillating said track-shafts simultaneously, said mechanism including bell cranks secured to the ends of said track-shafts, parallel links connecting said bell cranks, an operating handle, and ratchet devices between said handle and links.

l. The combination with a member having a door opening therein and a door adapted to close said opening, of parallel upper and lower combined track and operating shafts for said door, and mechanism for oscillating said track-shafts, said mechanism including bell cranks rigidly secured to the ends of said shafts, parallel links pivotally connected `to the bell cranks, a plate pivotally connected to the links intermediate their ends and having a ratchet wheel thereon, and an operating handle having a pawl engageable with said ratchet and adapted to rotate it and thereby shift the links and bell cranks.

JOHN F. GCONNOR. Witnesses:

CARRIE C. RANZ, GEORGIE VICKERY.

cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, I). C.

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